FILE - The chair for Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, sits empty in a Senate hearing room in the State Capitol complex in St. Paul on March 18, 2025, a day after his arrest in Bloomington for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)
FILE - The chair for Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, sits empty in a Senate hearing room in the State Capitol complex in St. Paul on March 18, 2025, a day after his arrest in Bloomington for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)
FILE - The nameplate stands empty on the desk that belonged to Republican Justin Eichorn, who resigned earlier, March 20, 2025, in the Minnesota Senate chamber in the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A former Minnesota state senator who was caught in a police sting operation pleaded not guilty Monday to a federal charge of attempted enticement of a minor for prostitution.
Justin Eichorn entered his plea in a brief appearance before Magistrate Judge Shannon Elkins. The judge granted his request for more time for his attorneys to review the evidence, so a trial that had been scheduled for June 9 will be rescheduled.
The 40-year-old Republican from Grand Rapids was arrested in Bloomington on March 17 after exchanging text messages with an undercover officer and arranging a meetup for sex for money, according to court documents. Federal prosecutors then took over the case.
Eichorn was released to a halfway house in Duluth on March 26. A grand jury returned a felony indictment April 1. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.
Eichorn resigned from the Senate March 20. A special election to fill his seat is set for next Tuesday, April 29, between Republican Keri Heintzeman and Democrat Denise Slipy.
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